Not long after the darkness enveloped their fields Allador began hearing of similar events on other farms. Some, like theirs, appeared in the fields where their crops were grown. Others, however, were in the livestock pens. One night, everything would be as normal; the following morning there would be nothing but the darkness, all of the livestock gone. No sounds would be heard in the night, no evidence of the animals existence would be found, only the darkness and the death it brought as it consumed.
So far these pockets of darkness had not spread within the farms, remaining contained in the space in which they appeared, as if some unseen force were containing them. No additional areas appeared either; one space of death for each farm. Allador did not know why he felt so, but he was almost certain that once all of the farms in the village had been impacted this would change. Some nights only one farm would be affected, some nights more than one. Eventually (quite soon, in fact) everyone would have this blight upon them and then the logic of it spreading would seem all too real. Whether it spread in just their village or to those beyond is what remained to be seen.
Allador saw a flickering light through the window of their cottage, a sure sign his father was preparing their evening meal. As if to confirm this, the breeze wrapped around him bringing the aroma of cooking meat and boiling vegetables to his nose, complimenting the smoke rising from the mud-brick chimney poking out of the thatched roof of their home. A shadow fell across the window briefly, soon replaced by the aged face of a man that spent a lifetime working a farm for survival.
“Heil, Father!” Allador called out, touching his fist to his forehead with the thumb pointed up, a greeting of both earned and inherent respect. “May the Light of Quir-’Alum shine on you forever.”
“And to you, my son,” he replied, wiping sweat from his brow. “I am grateful to see you return safely. I trust your journey was uneventful?”
“Uneventful, yes, but I learned much. It is as we feared; the darkness has spread to nearly all of the farms in the village. Based on how fast these spots have been appearing it will have finished the lot by the close of the month.”
“Then I guess it is time to gather the elders,” he replied, rubbing his hand absently across his grizzled face.
Allador nodded his head in reply. “From the expansive growth that I have witnessed, it is going to take more than just the elders to decide our next steps, Father. We need to call together all of the men and boys that are of age – I fear that conflict cannot be avoided, and all that could be called forward should have a voice.”
Walking further up the path to take the conversation indoors, Allador reached the door and pushed it open. Immediately the smells that were lingering on the breeze outside became stronger, filling his nose and making his stomach audibly rumble. Removing his coat, he hung it on a peg on the wall and kicked off his boots, enjoying the way the cold from the bare stone floor seeped into his feet, refreshing them from the days of travel. Heading straight for a deerskin-covered chair, he flopped down onto the cushioned seat and put his feet up on a nearby stool, closing his eyes to rest briefly in the short time before supper. After but a few moments, his father walked into the room and sat on another chair next to him. Allador could smell the scents of the kitchen on him, with an undercurrent of sweat from what was undoubtedly another hard-working day.
“You truly think we will see battle, then?” his father asked. “This is something for which we are not prepared. As you know, our village is ill-equipped and under-supplied to wage any sort of conflict beyond basic defense. There has never been a need.”
“Well-supplied or not, there will be no avoiding it. Out of the hundred or so farms I visited all but ten of them had encountered a loss to this evil. The ten farms that were free of the darkness were the last ten I visited, and they are also the furthest out along the arc of our village on the western edge. It is as if I had managed to get out ahead of it near the end of my journey.”
Allador’s father handed him a glass of water. After drinking a few sips, he continued.
“The disconcerting part is that the general timing, based on what the farmers told me, has lessened from roughly seven days between incidents to a mere one to two days. At the last affected farm I visited, which, incidentally, lost the largest head of cattle of all, the spot appeared in mid-day. The farmer and his family were off to picnic and fish at a nearby stream and were gone for just a few hours. There is no telling what they would have witnessed had they been there as nobody I encountered had actually seen it appear, only the results.”
“This is all troubling news indeed,” his father replied. “We will send Eriq to the village center tomorrow to inform the elders of the need for a council, and leave it up to them to get the word out to the rest of the village.”
At this, Allador glanced sheepishly at his father, a rather comical look on such a proud and noble face.
“That will not be necessary. As I passed through the first dozen or so farms and realized the severity of the problem, I circled back and informed each of them of the need for council and who should attend.” He saw the surprise on his father’s face and continued before it turned to anger. “My last stop before I arrived home was to Elder Mical’s house. Though upset as you can well imagine, he understands and sees the need. The council meeting will be held in three days’ time and will be held in the street at the village center, as no building will house all who must be there.”
The surprise and near-anger softening on his face, his father looked at Allador, shaking his head.
“Impertinent as your actions were, they were also done in good judgment. I should not be surprised by this and, yes, I can well imagine Elder Mical’s response. You were wise to consult with him instead of one of the other Elders. He is the least likely to part you from your head for such an action!” he said, laughing heartily. “The Elders chose you to pursue this quest and I believe they will be pleased. That said, be cautious in your words at the council; many people will be unhappy at being summoned, especially so with news such as you bring.”
Allador smiled, not out of pride, but pleased that he was right in his actions.
“Not to worry, Father. I will be cautious. Some, or many, may curse the name Allador, son of Allayn, at the close of the day, but none will be able to argue the dire times that are upon us. So, enough of that; when do we eat?”
Before Allayn could answer, Eriq burst through the door, his brown hair dripping wet and hanging down in front of his eyes. His shirt was soaked from the collar down to mid-chest, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows.
“All washed up, where’s the grub?” he said, walking right past both of them and into the kitchen.
“I guess that answers my question,” Allador laughed, and followed his brother through the doorway.

Hours later, with night lying on the farm like a heavy blanket, a dark mass began to form on the ground in the stockade. In the early light of morning, darkness remained. In the depths of the forest, the black fog swirled while the wind was still.